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Friday, February 9, 2018

Let's Make Some Valentines!

Thumbprint Heartsby Amy LV

Students - Happy almost Valentine's Day! I do love this holiday of tiny cards and tiny stickers and hearts made out of every kind of sweet imaginable, so today I thought I would write about candy. I had two bags of candy, poured each out, and took this picture. This picture was to be my writing inspiration.

Inspiring or Uninspiring?

Photo by Amy LV

But beware the best laid plans! My brain did not want to write about these candies. My brain wandered. And my eyes wandered too.

My eyes wandered around the room and around the floor where something under the table caught my eye.

Who Keeps Art Supplies on the Floor?

Photo by Amy LV

Yes, it was a stamp pad. Upside down. Just sitting there. Suddenly, I was overcome with a desire to make fat thumbprint hearts. Sounds strange? Well, it's true. My forthcoming book, WITH MY HANDS, includes a bit of fingerprint art, and so I guess that fingerprints must be on my mind.

I pressed my own thumb on ink and paper (see above), and I wrote today's poem.

Writing does not always follow a straight path, that's for sure! Remember this as you write. Keep your mind open for the surprises. Even a mess on the floor might invite a page or two.

This week, don't miss checking out SCHOOL PEOPLE, the new anthology by Lee Bennett Hopkins.

I loved writing about a wonderful nurse for this collection, and Robyn Hood Black, who wrote about a kind lunch lady shares all about the book with an interview of Lee and a book giveaway today at Life on the Deckle Edge.

At Sharing Our Notebooks, third grade teacher Dina Bolan and her writers from Alexander Hamilton Elementary School in Glen Rock, New Jersey share their nonfiction notebook entries. Please leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a lovely new notebook.

Sally is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at sallymurphy.com.au with some fun terse verse. Each week, we gather our posts together at one blog, so if you visit Sally this week...you will be introduced to many new poets and blogs and books.

Ed Emberley wrote several art books for young children, one of which is all about thumbprints. Several feature just one color, with many applications and lots of fun. They're rather old books, but ageless and full of color for all ages.Your library probably has at least one!

What a delightful poem.....not only does it make writing a poem seem possible for beginners ....but also includes the idea of how to make a Valentine. It's very "makey-makey" as we librarians like to say. I love the whole idea of School People. This is such an important book as for so many of our dear young ones, School people are the safe people, the role model people and the helper people they need to look to. I can't wait to get a copy into my school library.

Oh, I HEART you so, Dear Amy! Not sure which I love most today - the actual thumbprint hearts and marvelous poem, or the fact that you meandered AWAY from what seemed like a perfectly good plan and answered the call of messy magic instead. ;0) (Thanks for the bloggie shout-out, too!) XO

I love that you found your inspiration on your floor. Even though I'd already seen the thumbprints, when I got to the picture of the inkpad upside down, I wondered if what you found was an ink stain underneath it. Glad that wasn't right!

Welcome!

I'm Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, and I've been sharing poems and lessons here since March 2010. The Poem Farm is a safe place for children to explore poems, and it's a place for teachers to find poetry teaching ideas. I post on Fridays during the school year, and I welcome you to make yourself cozy here among the words.

School Visits

I adore visiting schools near and far, joyfully sharing writing in large groups and writing together in small groups. If you wish to learn more about this, please visit my website at the tab above.

New Post!

Please visit my other blog and peek into Miriam's moon journals...giveaway too! Just click that tiny moon above, and you will be there.

New Song with Barry Lane

Sometimes, my good friend Barry and I collaborate on a song. We did so this summer, with this poem I wrote in 2016. It is wonderful to have a friend with whom you can share words and music... Click the poem to be taken to the song.

For Teachers

"You can also keep this book open on your desk as a constant companion to consult for powerful lessons in crafting fiction, essay, and argument writing, or for sparking informational texts during science, history, and math." Katherine Bomer

Spring 2018

Spring 2018

A Podcast!

I am so happy to be part of this podcast with the wonderful authors of SHARING BOOKS, TALKING SCIENCE, Valerie Bang-Jensen and Mark Lubkowitz. We had a blast! Click the image to hear it.

On Instagram

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

I am grateful to have written the 20 poems that were part of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra's 2017-2018 Music for Youth Concert. The BPO will play this concert one more time, for families, during the 2018 - 2019 season.

Bookmark

Please print if you wish! There are 4 bookmarks per page, and each has room at the top for a hole and yarn. x

Commenting

Nonfiction

Orchard/Scholastic, 2016

First Book

Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013

Co-Author Of

With Lucy Calkins & Stephanie Parsons Heinemann 2013

Need a Poem?

If you are new here, I welcome you! If you seek a poem, click the "Find a Poem" tab above, and it will take you to a page where you can select poems by topic (dogs) or technique (alliteration). This resource is intended for personal or classroom use, and I welcome teachers and students to use these poems in lessons and as mentors. - Amy

My Other Blog

Click the chatting birds to peek into others' notebooks and to find zillions of ideas for your own notebook keeping life.

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Listen & Watch

This is a song I wrote with Barry Lane about something parents and teachers know. A child is so much more than a score.